Kiyani leading poll security plan from the front
Rayyan Ahmed
KARACHI: Sticking to his commitment, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kiyani seems to have taken it upon himself the responsibility of law and order stability in troublesome parts of country, especially in Karachi and parts of Balochistan.
To convey a clear signal to those out to disrupt election 2013, General Kiyani has issued strict orders to the country’s top intelligence agencies to rise to the occasion and coordinate with civilian counterparts to ensure free and fair elections in the country. “Any let-up in coordination will be taken very seriously,” meeting was informed. Besides deploying 10,000 ground troops in Karachi alone, COAS has also directed the concerned quarters within army establishment to keep their choppers ready for meeting any eventuality during and after the polling hours.
Interestingly, Chief of Army Staff had kept the federal interior minister out of this important meeting. The meeting held at the corps headquarter Karachi was attended by Commander 5 Corps, Lt. Gen. Aijaz Choudhary, Director General Rangers Sindh, Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, IGP, head of Intelligence Bureau in Sindh and heads of intelligence organizations. “Civilians were there to listen to and respond in yes,” commented one of the top civilian bureaucrats after the meeting. “The tone and tenor was very clear as if the chief has a single point agenda of ensuring peaceful elections and nothing else at this point in time,” added another participant of high profile meeting.
Director General of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj. Gen. Asim Salim Bajwa confirmed that COAS had a detailed briefing on the security plan for the general elections at a high level meeting. The Army Chief arrived here in the morning from Quetta.
Gen. Bajwa said that keeping in view the security concerns in Sindh and especially in Karachi, a comprehensive security plan was evolved after detailed discussion at the meeting.
Gen Kayani emphasized that all those associated with the security plan should work as a team to perform the task in an excellent manner. Army Chief also underlined the need that all the organisations should fully support the security plan.
ISPR DG said that under the plan 124,000 security personnel of the police and the Rangers, including 20,000 army troops, had been deployed in their respective assigned areas in the province.
He stated that total 49,000 security personnel, including 39,000 police and Rangers, and 10,000 army troops were deployed in Karachi. The quick reaction forces are mobile and some of them will use helicopters, he added.
Gen. Bajwa said that the Pakistan Army was entrusted with three important responsibilities. One was the security of printing of ballot papers. Two out of the four printing presses were located in Karachi and security was being provided at those printing presses since April 19.
The other task is transportation of the ballot papers, which has now been completed in Balochistan and it is continuing in some parts of Sindh and Punjab which will be completed in the next couple of days, he added.
Replying to a question, he said as already informed by the ECP and the government that army troops would not be within the polling stations, the army would be in the area as a quick reaction force and its deployment would be to ensure secure environment. The deployment will be under a mechanism already decided, he added
To convey a clear signal to those out to disrupt election 2013, General Kiyani has issued strict orders to the country’s top intelligence agencies to rise to the occasion and coordinate with civilian counterparts to ensure free and fair elections in the country. “Any let-up in coordination will be taken very seriously,” meeting was informed. Besides deploying 10,000 ground troops in Karachi alone, COAS has also directed the concerned quarters within army establishment to keep their choppers ready for meeting any eventuality during and after the polling hours.
Interestingly, Chief of Army Staff had kept the federal interior minister out of this important meeting. The meeting held at the corps headquarter Karachi was attended by Commander 5 Corps, Lt. Gen. Aijaz Choudhary, Director General Rangers Sindh, Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, IGP, head of Intelligence Bureau in Sindh and heads of intelligence organizations. “Civilians were there to listen to and respond in yes,” commented one of the top civilian bureaucrats after the meeting. “The tone and tenor was very clear as if the chief has a single point agenda of ensuring peaceful elections and nothing else at this point in time,” added another participant of high profile meeting.
Director General of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj. Gen. Asim Salim Bajwa confirmed that COAS had a detailed briefing on the security plan for the general elections at a high level meeting. The Army Chief arrived here in the morning from Quetta.
Gen. Bajwa said that keeping in view the security concerns in Sindh and especially in Karachi, a comprehensive security plan was evolved after detailed discussion at the meeting.
Gen Kayani emphasized that all those associated with the security plan should work as a team to perform the task in an excellent manner. Army Chief also underlined the need that all the organisations should fully support the security plan.
ISPR DG said that under the plan 124,000 security personnel of the police and the Rangers, including 20,000 army troops, had been deployed in their respective assigned areas in the province.
He stated that total 49,000 security personnel, including 39,000 police and Rangers, and 10,000 army troops were deployed in Karachi. The quick reaction forces are mobile and some of them will use helicopters, he added.
Gen. Bajwa said that the Pakistan Army was entrusted with three important responsibilities. One was the security of printing of ballot papers. Two out of the four printing presses were located in Karachi and security was being provided at those printing presses since April 19.
The other task is transportation of the ballot papers, which has now been completed in Balochistan and it is continuing in some parts of Sindh and Punjab which will be completed in the next couple of days, he added.
Replying to a question, he said as already informed by the ECP and the government that army troops would not be within the polling stations, the army would be in the area as a quick reaction force and its deployment would be to ensure secure environment. The deployment will be under a mechanism already decided, he added
You can see the difference? Cannot You? mr author look what his leadership has done in Karachi and Balochistan. Stop trusting the watchman?
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